History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Translated and edited by Andrew Rothstein. (Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House. 1960. Pp. 765.), The Kremlin Since Stalin. By Wolfgang Leonhard. Translated from the German by Elizabeth Wiskemann and Marian Jackson. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger. 1962. Pp. 403. $7.75.) and Lenin in der Russischen Sozialdemokratie: Die Arbeiterbewegung im Zarenreich als Organisationsproblem der Revolutionären Intelligenz, 1890–1903. By Dietrich Geyer. [Beiträge zur Geschichte Osteuropas, Number 3.] (Köln-Graz: Böhlau Verlag. 1962. Pp. xxvi, 447. Cloth DM 48, paper DM 44.)

Author(s):  
A. James McAdams

This book is a sweeping history of one of the most significant political institutions of the modern world. The communist party was a revolutionary idea long before its supporters came to power. The book argues that the rise and fall of communism can be understood only by taking into account the origins and evolution of this compelling idea. It shows how the leaders of parties in countries as diverse as the Soviet Union, China, Germany, Yugoslavia, Cuba, and North Korea adapted the original ideas of revolutionaries like Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin to profoundly different social and cultural settings. The book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand world communism and the captivating idea that gave it life.


1961 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Gerhart Niemeyer ◽  
John S. Reshetar ◽  
Leonard Schapiro

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